Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.

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Author's Notes: Thank you to everyone who had left a comment or a review for me already, I appreciate it so much. So here is Chapter three and as promised it is a bit longer. Hope you enjoy it!

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James was getting truly restless as he waited for Kate to finish all of her phone calls that seemed necessary to maintain the pretense that she was still in California.

Kate only had one more call to make and once she got off the phone with Gemma Teller, to ensure her and the Sons would back up her story in case her father would call there, it was time to get cleaned up.

After further looking through their paperwork, they discovered that the rest of the day had already been planned out for them.

At exactly 2pm, a car would be waiting for James outside the hotel to take him to a scheduled appointment at an undisclosed location, while Kate was to remain in the hotel and someone would come by to visit with her.

But for the time being James was trying to put that aside when he closed his eyes and let the hot stream of water cascade down his sore and battered muscles. More tired than he was trying to let on, he leaned against the cold shower wall with both his hands flattened out against the white cold tile. But when the glass shower door opened behind him, he quickly stepped aside and made room for her to come in.

"'Bout god damn time you got your ass in here, girl." He drawled as he ran a hand down his face to clear his vision in order to get a better view of her naked form standing beside him now.

She smiled up at him, closed her eyes as she quickly stepped under the showerhead and remained there until her hair was thoroughly rinsed and wet. James pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her and she returned the gesture. Skin on skin they stood motionless, savoring the feeling of peacefulness as the steady stream of the water drowned out the rest of the world for the time being.

"Now that's better, ain't it?" He mumbled as he bowed his head down just enough to place a soft kiss against her wet hair.

"I was so looking forward to just lying in bed, relaxing with you and doing nothing for the rest of the day." Kate exclaimed disappointed but didn't bother to even open her eyes, her cheek was still firmly pressed against James' chest.

"Me too, babe, me too." He agreed. "But truth be told, what I had planned to do in bed wasn't relaxing and I wouldn't call it nothing either."

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James didn't like this anymore then she did, when he turned around one last time, "Keep your gun close by and text me every hour on the hour, and don't forget it."

Kate walked towards him, "I will, and when I do, you better answer." She wrapped her arms around him, "And I'll be here when you get back."

He framed her face with his big broad hands and kissed her, pulling away from the kiss he locked eyes with her, "Lock the door behind me, and don't open it for anyone unless they have prove that Richard send them."

"I will. Now go and get this over with."

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Kate's visitor had come and been long gone again. She had ordered food up to their room, enough for him and her and she'd waited as long as she could, but when her stomach had loudly protested she had finally given in and ate. By then the food was long cold but Kate didn't think it couldn't have been any tastier since she had been at the point of starvation.

She'd paced the room for what seemed like forever. She had texted him and he had answered her back, his messages short and sweet and he wasn't letting anything on about why his appointment was taking him so long.

Kate stared at her reflection in the mirror. The wig she wore looked as real as it could be, in fact, if she didn't know any better she'd believe this was her real hair. It was straight and still dark, yet had a red shine to it. And her eyes ... well, weren't sparkling hazel anymore either, that was the eye color she'd always claimed as her own, however James would always refer to her eyes as moss green. No, now they were as dark brown as her hair used to be.

As she took in her own changed appearance her mind again went back to James. Assuming he was having a make-over of his own done, she wondered why his was taking so much longer. Despite her aggravation that he still wasn't back yet, she couldn't help the smile that formed on her lips at the thought of someone, man or woman, trying to convince James to wear a wig of any kind. But then again, he wasn't pregnant so he could very easily just die his golden strands to brown, shave his gruffly face and he'd look almost like a new man altogether.

But none of that explained that he still wasn't back yet.

Kate turned off the light in the bathroom and crawled into bed, but no matter which way she turned, she couldn't get comfortable.

She picked up her cell phone from the little table beside the bed, yet another hour had passed and it was time to message him again.

'I'm waiting for you!' She wrote, but before she pushed send she added, 'in bed'. It wasn't a lie; after all she was in bed. She just didn't mention that she was dead tired and instead of wearing nothing she was wearing an oversized t-shirt that she'd fished out of his suitcase.

Minutes passed in the dark hotel room and she stared at the little screen, waiting, wishing, hoping and eventually wondering why he hadn't texted her back yet, when the sound of someone at her door made her jump in surprise.

She reached for her gun on the bedside table and climbed out of bed.

She heard the lock click, the door to her room slowly opened, and Kate swallowed as she trained the gun on the shadowy figure that was slipping inside, but she exhaled in relief when the outline of the shadow turned out to be her husband's.

"James?" She asked, instantly hating the needy tone in her voice.

"Expectin' someone else, Freckles?" his drawl immediately put her at ease as she crossed the short distance and practically threw herself in his arms. He wrapped his arms around her, lifting her just enough that her toes weren't touching the ground anymore. "Hell, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you missed me."

"Shut up." She spat back, "I texted you, you didn't text back."

"I was already on my way up, so ..."

Reluctantly he let her go when he felt her arms letting go, "What took you so long?"

James stepped back, flipped the light on, and couldn't help but let out a small laugh when he saw her eyes go wide and she gasped in obvious shock.

Her eyes went from his arms back to his face and then back to his arms again, "Please tell me they're fake."

"They're fake." He stated, still smiling wide at her reaction, "You don't like 'em?"

She eyed him suspiciously as she closed the gap between them again and tentatively let her fingers run over the outline of the tiger that grazed his formerly blank shoulder."I don't know." She answered truthfully, because she really wasn't entirely sure what she was looking at. There were symbols and lines and creatures that resembled animals ... hell, even flowers grazed her husband's beautiful skin ... and no, she didn't like it, not really.

She realized she wasn't good at hiding her disapproval when he tilted her chin up to meet her eyes, "It's temporary, and it'll be gone before I rise from the dead."

She nodded and actually smiled, because the thought of him coming back home to her was worth just about anything to her.

"So what do you think?" she asked, eyeing him closely to gauge his reaction.

"Not bad." He smirked, took her by one hand and made her twirl for him so he could look at her from all sides, "Not bad at all, Red."

"So." She smiled up at him, "Should I leave the contacts in and the wig on for bed?"

He shook his head, "Naw, I want my wife, brown hair and green eyes."

Her eyes sparkled as she sauntered off into the bathroom, strangely relieved that he wanted the real her.

While she was fussing in the bathroom, James untied his boots and toed them off, pulled the black sleeveless shirt off and unbuckled his belt to lose his jeans too.

Right as he was stepping out of his jeans, she walked back into the room, closing the bathroom door behind her and switched off the light on her way to the bed.

Her brown curls cascaded down her shoulders as she climbed onto the bed beside him and asked, "Better?"

"Almost." He answered and before she could inquire what he meant by that, he simply took a hold of the t-shirt she was wearing and pulled it off of her, "Now that's better." His voice was thick with lust as he let his eyes take in her naked state, perfectly illuminated by the moonlight that was shining like a spotlight through the window.

It was just a whirlwind of touches and kisses while Kate helped him discard of his boxers before he climbed on top of her. But Kate suddenly broke away from a kiss, "Your tattoos, are they -"

James interrupted before she could fully voice the question, "They said they won't rub off. They're sex safe."

She pushed him off a bit to look him in the eye, "You asked some Arab men if you're tattoos are safe for sex?" her eyebrows raised in a curious looking arch.

He chuckled, "No, babe, I didn't, but they spoke perfect English and they assured me they were safe - and I quote - for strenuous activities." The words were accompanied by an exaggerated thrust of his hip.

Kate in return offered him an exaggerated eye-roll but then smiled and relaxed back onto the mattress as his face hovered just above hers.

She whispered, "I was so tired before you got here, but now ... now sleep is the last thing on my mind." She kissed him and opened her mouth along with her legs to let him in. "Let's see how well those tattoos hold up." She said against his lips, he kissed her then but had to laugh into her mouth at what she'd said.

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Kate awoke with a start once again ... it barely ever happened anymore, but every once in a while she would still have nightmares, even when James' arms were protectively wrapped around her like they were right at this moment.

His body was still pressed slick against hers, and she could feel his chest move with every breath that he took. It was comforting to have him so near, yet she found herself lying awake for quite some time, unable to take her mind of the fact that tomorrow they would both board another plane together.

A plane that would take them to Paris-Orly, a smaller airport south of Paris, and from there James and her would get a rental car and he'd drop her off at the Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris, so she could board her flight back to the states, while he drove on towards Germany. For obvious reasons they would have to go their separate ways from there, and it made her stomach twist in knots having to let him go already again.

As she glanced across the moonlit hotel room, her eyes fell onto James' stack of papers that were haphazardly shoved back into the large envelope sitting atop the dresser across from the bed. Just then a thought occurred to her, that if she had to leave him, she would at the very least want to know where he'd be at all times. It would definite ease her worries not having to wonder every night where exactly he was.

So Kate gently and quietly unwrapped herself out of James' tattoo covered arms, snatched up the discarded t-shirt and tip toed across the room, took his envelope of papers along with her own and the pen that had the insignia of the hotel on it. She quietly pushed the bathroom door close behind, flipped the light on, pulled the shirt back over her head and settled down onto the tiled bathroom floor with the two envelopes in hand.

Still trying her best to not awake him in the room next door, she began looking through his papers in complete silence. At first nothing in particular caught her attention, as she jotted down the name and address of the hotel he was going to stay at in Germany, but then she noticed another address and name in Germany along with the photograph of a man she didn't recognize.

What the hell was this?

Up until this point Kate had been under the impression that she would take the quickest, yet safest way home to California, while James would find his way to south America and eventually Mexico until all the necessary arrangements had been made, to explain why he wasn't the man found dead in that cabin, but was very much alive and breathing.

Suddenly panic stricken she quickly looked through the remainder of the papers, finding more and more addresses of hotels, along with names and addresses and detailed information about other people.

Kate felt her stomach turn at the thought what this could possibly mean. She couldn't help but wonder if this was a hit-list of sorts, people that needed to be eliminated for the sake of the island and James was to be their executioner.

She shook her head and covered her mouth to smother the sob that was threatening to escape.

No. She shook her head, this couldn't be true. But the truth about it all just terrified her to the very core, just what James would do for her. Is this the new deal he'd struck with Ben? Was having to kill all these people the price he had to pay in order to come back home to her?

She straightened her back and wiped at her teary eyes, pulling herself back together the best she could as she noted every hotel address and all the different names and addresses as well. She then carefully replaced all the papers along with her own and silently crawled back into bed with him.

Lying there beside him in the dark, she watched him sleep. He was exceptionally beautiful, and even the strange looking tattoos couldn't take away from his masculine yet gorgeous features. Her fingers lovingly caressed the scar on his shoulder, a scar that couldn't be noticed anymore with the tattoo successfully camouflaging every aspect of it.

But as her hand lingered on his scared skin, her mind went back to him lying in her arms on that bunk-bed in the hatch. He was burning up and shaking from a fever that was violently cursing through his body, and it took all she had to keep it together then. But she did, she had to for him. She also remembered Jacks frown at the sight of James's head cradled in her arms, but she couldn't help the way she felt then any more then she could help the way she felt right now. The fear of losing him was too grand to hide.

Her hand moved from his shoulder to his cheek and she leaned in to place a small kiss on his lips.

"James?" she asked and he stirred in his sleep. A little louder this time, "James?"

He mumbled something incoherent at first but then sleepily opened his eyes and drawled, "What's wrong?"

"I think we should run." The words left her mouth instantaneously when she saw him look at her.

That woke him up completely as he looked over his shoulder towards the door, then quickly took in the hotel room with the fear of imminent threat, but eventually looked then back at her, somewhat confused, "Why?"

He propped himself up against the headboard while she sat up Indian-style herself and faced him, "I just don't want to owe any more favors to the island. We have fake passports, we have cash ... we could just disappear somewhere, just you and me. Leave it all behind."

He sat up even straighter and his forehead was creased as he tried to comprehend everything she'd just said to him. He glanced sideways at the alarm clock beside the bed; it was only 3:16 am. What the hell had fucking happened between the time they had made love and fell asleep 'till now?

Unable to make any sense of it, he reached for her hand and simply held it as he looked right at her, "What happened?" It was a simple question, hoping it had an equally simple answer.

"What do you mean?" her heartbeat quickened again just at the thought of lying to him.

"I mean." His voice sounding just a tad bit annoyed as he huffed, "One minute were screwing our brains out, then talkin' about how we're gonna get through 'till I'm home again and then you wake me up at 3 am askin' me to run off with you."

She looked away, her chin quivered and she pulled her hand out of his, but he quickly leaned forward and reached for it again. His right hand cupped her cheek as he turned her face back towards him, "Hey, look at me."

She batted her lashes before she finally raised her eyes to meet his. "What?" she said, looking every bit the part of a pouting child.

"Fuckin' talk to me." He said in a strangely calm voice, and it suddenly became clear to her that he wasn't looking to start a fight ... more the opposite. James actually wanted to know what was going on. He wanted the truth.

She swallowed hard, her voice barely above a whisper, "I looked through your papers."

She locked her eyes with his, surprised to not see the look of registration and shame but instead further confusion, "And?" he asked.

She leaned forward now. "I know, James." Her voice was even and firm as she held onto both of his hands.

"Know what?" He asked back again, clearly not grasping the severity of her discovery.

Now a shadow of irritation began to cross her face, "I know what you have to do." Her eyes not wavering from his when she added, "For the island."

James leaned back against the headboard, wondering for a minute if that wig she wore earlier might've been a tad bit too tight and caused some sort of brain damage. "So?" He asked.

"So, I don't want you to do it, and I think we should just run."

He took a sip of water from the glass on his bedside table, "So you wanna run? From the island?" he asked and Kate had to be a fool to miss the amusement in his tone of voice or the smirk that was creeping across his face.

"It's not funny, James." She quipped back at him, clearly not understanding how he could take any of this so lightly.

"Oh, it's a little bit funny." He smiled as he scratched a spot on his chest absentmindedly.

"How can you even say that? How can you joke about killing people?" She could no longer hide the anger in her voice as she stared at him incredulously; wondering how the man she loved could be so coldhearted.

Now James looked dumbstruck at her, "What the hell are you talkin' 'bout, Freckles?"

"The names and addresses and pictures in your envelope." She answered, sounding hopeful that he was finally coming to his senses and show some sign of regret over having to do the islands awful bidding.

"You think I'm going to kill all of those people?" He looked confused but also angry that she could accuse him of such a thing. "Are you out of your god damn mind, girl?"

Instant relief washed over her features, "So, you're not suppose to kill them?"

"Absolutely not!" He stared at her as if she'd lost her mind. "Did you really think Hurley would send me out as some kinda assassin for the island?"

Hurley! Of course! How could she have overlooked the main man behind the curtain?

She shook her head no, "No, you're right." She seemed ashamed that she'd assumed such an awful thing from him.

"Come here." James drawled his demand as he reached for her and pulled her onto his lap.

Kate complied willingly and rested her head against James' shoulders, too ashamed that she'd think so low of him, she couldn't bear to look him in the eye while she listened to him explain, "Sweetheart, they're all former associates of Charles Widmore. Each one of them has information that could - if put in the wrong hands - lead to the discovery of the island. So I'm suppose to find whatever they have and destroy it before they can all meet up and put the puzzle pieces together, you getting' me?"

She nodded and finally lifted her head to look at him, "I'm sorry. I -"

He placed a finger over her lips and shushed her, "Ssshhhh, don't worry 'bout it." He then reached for her t-shirt and pulled it off of her again. "Let's go to sleep, we've gotta catch a flight in a couple of hours."

Clinging to one another they closed their eyes and tried to go back to sleep again, but James broke the silence one last time when he asked, "So you would've left Aaron and good old Sam to run off with me?"

"Too keep you from murdering someone?" She asked back and then answered her own question, "Yes, I would've."

He kissed her hair and smiled, "I'll keep that in mind."

"Go to sleep, James." She huffed annoyed that he could joke about this now.

"Yes, Ma'am!" He answered her and finally remained quiet for the remainder of the night.

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End Notes:

Please take a minute to leave a comment or a review to let me know what you all think of it this far. Thanks for reading!